Top 7 Ways to Drive Your Prospects to Close

Why You Should Care

Wowing your prospects isn't enough – you have to push them over the edge!

5-minute read

It seems like a done deal: You’ve given a comprehensive walk through of the unit, offered a detailed list of community amenities, and provided a thorough tour of the community’s gym and package center. You’ve even had a 30-minute conversation with your prospect about how their flat screen will look in the new living room. You pull out the pen to sign the lease, and then you hear this: “We’ll follow up with you next week.”

You think you’ve done everything you could to “wow” your prospect, but you’re at a loss how to get your prospect to sign the lease. Below, you'll find a number of tips to help you easily and effectively get residents to sign on the dotted line.

Focus on the amenities they need

Say your community installed a state of the art gym. It should be obvious to talk it up in your showing, right? Well, not exactly.

While it’s a good idea to provide a comprehensive list of all the amenities your community offers, it’s more important to highlight the amenities tailored to your prospect’s specific needs. Highlighting the dog park may be more relevant for the dog owner, while the gym’s most attractive for the single twenty-something. Keeping an eye out for the small details can often mean the difference between an empty unit and a signed lease.

Help with the move

Your clients could very well be treading their feet as they assess all they have to do before moving time. With Updater, residents can purchase renters insurance, transfer and connect digital home services, forward their mail, and update their accounts and records all before they move in.

Plus, your residents can claim exclusive moving-related deals on things like cardboard boxes or renting a zipCar. So, if moving in is what’s keeping them from signing the lease, Updater will make the move that much easier to swallow.

Be ready to sign at any time

Be prepared for your prospect to sign the lease at any moment. That means you should always carry a copy of the lease and be ready to obtain a deposit on a moment’s notice. It’s a time-sensitive business, and your prospect’s decision one moment could mean their indecision the next.

Advertise your partnerships with local businesses

You didn’t partner up with the local wine shop for naught! Now’s the time to mention those monthly wine tastings, discounts at the local gym, or any other partnership you have with local businesses.

Mention your arsenal of special perks

Does your community offer incentive-based programs like receiving bonuses for submitting rent on time? Or providing on-site parking space for residents that carpool? Be sure to mention the special perks your community offers, even if it’s something as small as secured bike parking. Distinctive amenities are the ones that stick out the most.

Offer resident events

Advertise that one of the best parts about living in an apartment community is just that – having access to a great network of people that come together for holidays, summer celebrations, and sometimes “just because.” Telling your prospects about your annual summer barbecue or movie nights in your recreation room alerts them that you take community building seriously.

Keep in touch

Follow up the showing with concrete “touch-points” so your prospects remain interested. Rather than sending out a note inquiring whether they’ve made a decision, follow up with information that’ll more likely elicit a response. Send over floor plans so they can compare furniture measurements, so they can literally image themselves living in your community.

With these tips, say goodbye to having to “deal” with prospects that are on the fence. Instead, get your residents to sign the lease by incorporating a bit of personalized messaging into your interactions. Show that you understand your prospects' needs, and you'll have little difficulty in actually getting them to sign.

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About the Author

I'm Updater's Head of Marketing. I'm an endless seeker of knowledge, a lover of craft brews, and a huge Philadelphia sports fan. I also have more moving tips and tricks in my head than any normal person should.